flea market / disney star:

"I'm getting in touch with my Mexican side!"  Thus said Naomi during her first trip to the flea market a couple weekends ago.  Manny used to go weekly as a kid.  We were originally there to see R.aini Rodriguez, from a Disney Channel show, but there wasn't much info available on the set-up.  What I pictured was a long line where people would wait and get something signed. What happened instead was that they handed out limited wristbands in the morning, and only those people could meet her, and only after the pre-show and Q&A.  So that was a few hours too long for us.  We still got to see her during the Q&A, so Naomi was satisfied with seeing her in person.  We ended up getting a few ride tickets and buying some mangoes at the large open market.  My hands were full with the baby, but he slept okay in the sling.  He actually prefers to sleep being held upright, but I can't do that all the time.  It was awkward finding a place to nurse him.  As tiring as it is, at least we're able to get out as a family, and that's good.

Lucas really liked the Ferris wheel.

Farmer's market.

Wow, that's a big soft serve.

There she is--Miss Rodriguez!

field trip - historic house:

Our last field trip of the year for the ISP was to a historic farmhouse, the last of its kind in the area.  The morning of the trip, all signs pointed to a no-go.  It was raining, I had a rough night with Isaac, and Lucas overslept.  I even started sending a message to the teacher that we weren't coming.  However, I've been thinking lately that what sometimes looks like a "closed door" doesn't always mean it is.  It might just be an obstacle.  So, I decided to knock and peep into the door, and if it didn't seem right, I'd come back out (i.e., if the trip wasn't working out, I could always leave early).

Thankfully, Isaac napped in my arms for most of the trip.  Unfortunately, I forgot the sling, but I managed.  Lucas was sleepy and hungry and found the size of the house and tower a little scary, but he didn't complain much and made the most of it.   I actually felt a little claustrophobic and germaphobic in the home, and once one student sneezed, I headed outside for a little while with the boys and gave Lucas a snack.  Naomi and I learned a lot on the tour, and she was happy to see her girlfriends from class.  For educational purposes and to gain a greater appreciation of how people lived, I thought the trip was worth it.  Lucas did like the kitchens and little houses, and at one point decided he wanted to show people where the restrooms were.  I've been teaching him that soon he'll have to go to the men's room by himself, and not the ladies' room with me.  

After the trip, we went to a drive-thru and had lunch before Lucas's speech class.  Poor Isaac was wailing, but he had a good nap after we were finally done for the day.  

Ready for the field trip (or the baseball field?).

Sprinkling.

Waiting outside.

Kitchen.

The home is beautifully landscaped.

The tank house and gift shop.

The little house was more to Lucas' liking.

Writing with quills in the barn.

Naomi and friends in the gazebo (taken by another mom).

dog tricks:

Last week we went to a free canine showcase at a library.  The kids enjoyed it.  These rescued dogs have performed on Animal Planet.  That was good to know--I never want to watch animals be exploited.  There was one trick where the dog had to jump down into the parachute, and I wasn't sure the dog enjoyed that one as much as the other tricks.  I think they might have overestimated the strength of some of the volunteers, as you can see in the video below.  

We invited some friends at the last minute, but they couldn't make it.  Sometimes we don't even know if we're going to make it ourselves, so I don't usually invite others for spur-of-the-moment trips.  Isaac gets pretty thrown off with all the driving around, and I can't just feed him anywhere I want.  He is like Lucas was and abhors the carseat and car rides, so he cries nonstop the entire drive.  The library shows, like the bird show, happen during rush hour and are far away.  It's a good thing I'm okay with the crying or that would make the trip feel even longer.  Thankfully, the kids are patient with the crying in the car.  Lucas has even given up listening to his favorite Toby Mac songs (his favorite artist at the moment).  

After the show, the kids ran around the grass.  Naomi broke out from lying in it, which was my fault.  I forgot she's sensitive to it.  Then we went home and played outside.  I always keep an eye on them, even holding a crying baby.  I am seeing so many articles being shared about how we should let kids play on their own.  That's fine, I let them fall down or work things out with other kids, but I could never live with myself if I let them go completely unsupervised.

Naomi and Lucas getting ready to watch the show.

Bad photo of me, but this is usually what I do with Isaac--sling him up since he cries so much in the stroller.

Pebbles walking the barrel.

Kids setting up for the human obstacle course.

It didn't seem like Bonkers really wanted to do this.

Some highlights:

tragedies / family matters:

When devastation occurs, it seems to hit closer to home when a loved one is affected or when we've faced something similar ourselves.  When we don't have a direct connection, however, we ought to connect ourselves and help.  Seek the good of our neighbors.

I'm heartbroken about the children who died in Moore, without their parents and in an unbelievably scary situation.  It's hard to believe God is sovereign over it, but He is.  I have been in a tropical storm, a building on fire, the epicenter of an earthquake, a flood, a snowstorm, and a typhoon.  I've seen a funnel cloud in the distance (or maybe a tornado, I was young and have never known for sure).  I was always with others, though.  Imagining going through those situations alone is so hard.  I wonder why the schools weren't closed when the tornado warning came.

My cousin ran the B.oston Marathon.  He is an avid runner, so he finished well before the first explosion.  I don't talk to him much, but was glad to find out he was okay.  I think there will be more events like this in the future, in my children's future, and it's hard to stomach sometimes.

My mother-in-law called a couple of weeks ago to let me know about a growing fire near my parents' home.  She offered my parents a refuge in case they had to evacuate.  Thankfully they didn't, but that was truly kind of her.  I feel that my in-laws are the only family and friends my parents can count on near them.

My parents still have ongoing stress from my brother's situation.  Whenever he starts getting treatment and getting better, he reaches a place where he feels he no longer he needs help, and the cycle begins again.  I figure this is the case for many people going through rehabilitation.  It has been 27 years since my brother was first diagnosed, and it seems sometimes he's still just going up and down that first step, except now with greater desperation as he's in his midlife.

When my in-laws were here to help us when Isaac was born, a family member had a heart attack.  Shortly after, another family member fell off a tall ladder, flipped, and hit the concrete.  My in-laws returned home and then went to visit another family member had been hospitalized and had parts of her colon removed.

My friends have become like family to me.  This has been the case from a young age when that elderly couple in Delaware took me in as a surrogate grandchild.  My friend Cecille's parents and my in-laws have given me a sense of family, attending my graduations and celebrating holidays and life with me.  I wouldn't have recovered as well these past few weeks without our church and friends.  I am really humbled by that.

I think sometimes about how there are so many things I cannot repay, so many people I haven't properly thanked.  And last week, I thought about that--giving to those who cannot repay.  I was reminded of it by Francis Chan's Crazy Love.  Then our pastor mentioned Luke 14:12-14 this last Sunday.  So that is what we ought to do--give without expecting anything in return.

mother's day / iron man / me time:

I've been having to write so many emails and texts lately, I just started this post with "Hi..."  

I am blessed to still have my mother and mother-in-law in my life, and to know all the mothers that I do.  Many mothers truly are unsung heroines.

Mother's Day was the day after Naomi's party.  I really needed some rest and refreshment.  They handed out chocolates to  the moms at church (thank you!), and I just really enjoyed having some adult interaction.  Even if I'm tired, I still like to go.  The people at church are very open and warm, and sometimes wacky.  After church, Manny took us to In-n-Out.  One of these days I'm going to try animal style.  Then Manny had a ticket for me to the movies.  I am very thankful he took all three kids for a few hours and gave me a chance to unplug and unwind.  I pumped some milk, got Isaac down for a nap, and then took off to enjoy time to myself where I could both concentrate as well as veg.  I didn't have enough energy to walk around and shop, and I'll wait on the haircut.  The next day, and even that evening, I'd be back to the juggling and the grind, but I am learning it's okay to ask for help and get some real time to myself every now and then.

I go to the theatre for comic book or action films mainly for the CGI or special effects that are meant for the big screen.  The really good movies I'll tend to rent nowadays, though in times past I always liked to lend financial support to them.  I got there just in time, so I only spoke to the person next to me very briefly.  After the movie, I stayed for the post-credits clip.  Some man in the theatre was pretty upset with his woman for making him stay, but she liked it.  I thought it was funny.

I won't spoil the film (but don't read on if you want to know absolutely nothing), but like many have said, it is better than the second but not the first.  With a new director, it took a somewhat more violent turn, along with more profanity (not an overload, but definitely more).  I actually had to close my eyes a couple times, because I don't do too well with visual violence, but I don't think it would affect a regular moviegoer.  A friend said he didn't like how they weakened the superhero, and someone had said that about the Batman reboot as well.  I think that's a trend these days.  When we were young--with the exception of each characters' kryptonite or a conscious choice for love (like when Superman wanted to become human to be with Lois Lane)--the superhero was usually a complete force of good battling the worst of evil.  You still have that with the comic book or superhero movies today, but many of them are now going a little darker or humanizing the superheroes, showing the conflict they feel inside, including moral struggles and emotional weakness.  That doesn't really bother me as I see it as realistic.  These characters aren't God, and they are not all-powerful or all good.  But I get some people's problems with it--is good vs. evil not black and white anymore?  But Iron Man is still one of the ones that draws the line fairly clearly, weaknesses or not.  I thought it was good overall, and it probably helps that I rarely get to watch movies any more, so it's hard to get too disappointed based on the action sequences alone.  Also, what they did with The Mandarin is an interesting commentary on our world today.  ETA:  I always enjoy Easter eggs (spoiler warning).

It was nice to get out by myself for a change, and I really hope Manny can get out with some friends soon as well.  Even if we're tired, we can't withdraw.  We're shy, but we enjoy being with people.  I often think of that line from "Be Our Guest" (Beauty and the Beast) which goes, "Life is so unnerving, for a servant who's not serving..."  I need some time to myself sometimes, but too much "me" time would be pretty unnerving indeed.  Doing things for and with others can require hard work and sacrifice, but it's really worth it, and your spirit groans when you don't do what you are called to do.  

belated birthday cooking party:

Naomi had a good time at her party.  I wasn't going to throw a party for Naomi, but then I thought that maybe a simple party at home with a few friends would work out.  The kids would make the food, Naomi would do all the decorating; everybody wins.  We started out only inviting six, but the first three we invited weren't available.  So I told Naomi she could add a few more friends.  The list was doubled, and every remaining guest replied yes.  At the last minute, two of the girls could not make it, but it still made for a lot of girls!  I didn't anticipate well enough how tough it would be to manage our two boys along with energetic girls (whom we were administering sugar to--what was I thinking?).  What made it worth it was the building of friendships and allowing parents to have some time to do other things.  One of the reasons for gatherings is to show love to people in our community, and bring people together who don't know each other.  Some of the families are Christian, some are not.

Naomi worked hard for the party, from doing all the decorating to trying to hose down the back herself that morning.  She wanted to serve rainbow ice at the party, which turned out to be a hit.  I wanted natural drinks, but to get that artificial color range, we went with Powerade.  Making pizzas was fun.  It was pretty hot that day, and the dough started softening too much.  When Naomi and I had the trial run, it was perfect.  I made sure to mention not to put too much sauce, but running around so much, I wasn't able to direct the kids as much as I'd planned.  Most of the pizzas were over-sauced, which made it soggy and hard to transfer.  Next time, I'll make it directly on sprayed foil or parchment paper rather than transferring it to the cookie sheet.  Nevertheless, the pizzas turned out tasty.  

One of the moms, J, stayed and helped us tremendously.  Naomi's friend is allergic to peanuts, so it was a little daunting thinking about having to use the epi pen.  Fortunately, J is a teacher and trained regarding allergic reactions.  We didn't have anything containing peanuts as far as I knew, but things happen.  Before the party, Manny did all the grocery shopping for the week, which was so nice of him.  I should have ordered groceries online, though, because I had to cross things off the prep list as Manny was not available.  But I got the most important things done and was satisfied.  Having J there actually made me nervous as well.  Kids don't notice the mistakes as much as adults do, and I usually feel guilty asking for help.  I'd planned everything expecting Manny to be available, but Isaac was fussy, and Lucas was upset after the girls took the Twister game outside.  I was hoping Isaac would nap like normal.  He fell asleep on J, but was awakened by the girls' screams.  Manny decided to take the boys upstairs.  I didn't really want him to, because I was short-handed, but he felt that was better than disrupting the party.  I was disappointed  I couldn't take more photos, or at least the type of photos I like to take.  There are none of us as a family at the party and none of the pizza or cupcake spread, but at least we have a nice one with the girls in their hats and aprons.  The girls started running around a little too much.  Naomi said that she felt that it got too wild as well, but she was overly excited herself during the party.  Without more supervision, we ended up with a broken screen door, torn aprons, and pizza sauce on the carpet (Note:  Carpet in the dining room is a stress-inducer).  Manny was able to fix the screen door, but I didn't see the big stain till it had set.

When it was time for the cupcakes, about an hour into the party, I was already very fatigued.  Somewhere in there I had to feed Isaac as well.  I was hoping for something more orderly and toned down, but it's good the girls had a lot of fun.  Each girl received two Funfetti cupcakes to decorate, one to eat at the party and one to take home in a favor box (one girl ate them both).  For their DIY toppings, we had coconut shreds, assorted candies and sprinkles, three colors of frosting, marshmallows, sparkle gel, and pink color mist (a color spray which looks cool but doesn't taste great).  I didn't have a close-up of Naomi with the candle on her birthday cupcake, but I did manage to get a video of the birthday song, which I like to have from each year.  I accidentally hit Naomi very hard in the eye with a piece of plastic at the beginning of the cupcake decorating.  I felt so awful!  That distracted me for a while, so I forgot the ice cream and other things until most of the girls had already left.  But the gift opening and favor bag distribution at least went as planned.  I also had planned bingo, but Naomi took all the girls to her room to play it.  That was fine, and their time together went over pretty well.  The girls got bingo prizes that Naomi had put together for them.

  

Rainbow ice!

The favors:  cupcake box, cupcake sticky notes, beads from my baby shower, scratch-and-sniff food stickers, and a potholder from the dollar store.

First girls arrive and chat it up on the picnic blanket.

Our little chefs.

Decorating cupcakes.

After all that crying, Isaac gives us a huge smile.

six-week mark:

This past week was the six-week mark.  I am no longer taking pain meds and am back to our regularly scheduled activities, Isaac is going longer between feedings, and we had the last two meals brought for us from friends at church.  I'm back to making three meals a day, sometimes winging it, and was welcomed back with a scary microwave incident this morning.  Manny's had that microwave since 98, I think.  I opened it to put something in, and it turned on!  Thankfully I was protected because I just decided to stand sideways behind the door.  Maybe because I was holding Isaac.  I think it did get my three fingertips in the second it took for me to slam the door back shut.  The fingertips have a strange tingling sensation, but it's very slight.

The Saturday before, Naomi went to a superhero party at C's house.  We just dropped her off and then had a late lunch and did grocery shopping.  She's not any trouble for us, but it was still easier with two kids than  three.  Naomi got a kick out of there being another Naomi at the party in the same costume.  This will be her Halloween costume so we get some more uses out of it.

Last week started out rough.  Lucas is wiping us all out with his bedtime issues.  Manny is swamped at work; he couldn't get home till past 10:30 one night.  I was beat, but I still try to keep up some semblance of a normal routine.  I took the kids to Awana and the dinner at the church beforehand.  I'm surprised I haven't really been late to anything with the baby in tow so far.  Or maybe I shouldn't be surprised because punctuality can be an idol for me.  Lucas hadn't been back to Awana in weeks, and I didn't want him to get out of it just because he didn't feel like going.  He kept trying to run out of the classroom, and they ended up having me take him out.  But after a while, he realized it was really boring hanging out with me, so he agreed to cooperate and went back to Cubbies, just in time for their trip to the playground and the prize distribution.  I'm disappointed he probably won't finish all his verses when we'd worked so hard to catch up, but I'm glad that he went back on his own.  On the one hand, he has to cooperate, but on the other hand, I don't want him to dread going.  It's hard for him to adjust to change or get back in the swing of things, but I want our kids to learn perseverance.

On Wednesday, J and A and A's mom took Naomi and Lucas to the park and lunch, and I got to run some errands done and had some down time with Isaac.  I only did school with Lucas; Naomi did some make-up work later.  We also didn't have our ISP that week because the older kids and kids who needed a make-up day were still doing their STAR testing.  On Thursday, we hired a friend of ours to clean about half our home.  We've never hired anyone, but she'd just asked for more local clients, and we sure could use the help!  She did a great job, and also was great company.  I value adult conversation!  Friday, another friend came to watch the two boys for an hour and a half so I could prep for the party.  Naomi is really great about letting the adults focus on her brothers and just waiting her turn if there is one.  It was just a week where I really felt encouraged.  I still feel guilty sometimes, but I'm learning it's okay to ask for help, to accept help, and to have some time to myself to be refreshed for the family.

Got rid of that Safer Bather bath pillow, and he's fine now in the baths (still not as happy as the other two, but no more screaming).

Our Supergirl headed out to C's superhero birthday party.

Aww, sibling smiles.

Our friend S stopped by and watched Lucas and Isaac so I could prep for the party.

some firsts:

Naomi had her first STAR test this week.  She and other second graders said they thought it seemed pretty easy, and she especially liked getting to take the test with her friends and even getting candy afterward.  Lucas also returned to his speech therapy classes this week.  I'm so glad Manny was able to drop Naomi off for the three test days so I didn't have to wake the baby up after spending two hours putting him down.  With each child after the first, you have no choice but to wake him and cart him around.  I got to introduce Isaac to the teachers and the other moms.  I put him in the sling to walk to Naomi's classroom.  Lifting the car seat still causes me some sharp pain.

Isaac is also smiling now, which is very sweet to see between all the fussy periods.  He is usually either happy or sleepy for a period in the mornings, so I do school with Lucas then.  Lucas is finally writing his name for me without embarrassment.

On our first walk in the stroller last Saturday.  He was not happy, but it was good to be out.  I am still feeling pain at the incision site, but I can walk fine with the stroller now.

First time out as a whole family for something other than a doctor's appointment (ice cream!).  Manny wasn't keen on the photo, I think.  Contrary to what people think, he doesn't smile 100% of the time (maybe 95%).

My second day out with the kids alone (I didn't take a photo the first day). 

Naomi is now in the back by herself.  I miss her!  Before you know it, she'll be up front with me!

Isaac's first recorded smile.

Naomi is smitten with her baby brother!

He likes tummy time.

Lucas finally writing his name.

Lucas doing some writing and coloring (neither of which he's ever enjoyed too much, so kudos to Handwriting Without Tears!).